Grateful Dead fans Drew Hamilton and Mike Widmer are finally back to review the albums Blues for Allah, Terrapin Station, and Shakedown Street from the time period 1975-1978. Wid Kid brings the history. Hammy brings the humor…in an effort to cover up his inability to correctly pronounce King Solomon’s (13:28), climactic scene (43:48), and Italy (43:52).

Show Highlights (or Lowlights depending on your viewpoint):

36:40-37:22 Think Wid Kid prefers his Samson and Delilah live?
43:25-44:00 Talk much, Hammy?
52:35-53:10 Hammy sings France‘s praises. Or does he?

Next episode? Keith and Donna’s exit from the band. Brent Mydland’s entrance. A review of Go To Heaven. And we finally usher in the 80’s.

Hop on the bus for this long, strange trip through another time’s forgotten space…on Shakedown Speak!

Grateful Dead fans Drew Hamilton and Mike Widmer are back to review Wake of the Flood, From the Mars Hotel, and Steal Your Face from 1973-1974. Listen in to laugh and learn as Wid Kid educates you on Dead history, while Hammy cuts up in the back of the classroom.

Show Highlights (or Lowlights depending on your viewpoint):

08:25-08:35 Widdy comes awfully close to criticizing a Dead tune
18:10-20:35 Hammy visits Dead harmonies 20 years later
24:00-25:41 Technical meltdown, anyone?
38:35-38:50 Was that a Great Gazoo reference?
50:00-50:35 Widdy again toes the line of a criticism without crossing it

Wid Kid is projecting this ship of fools to make it through 1979 in Episode 5, which would include reviews of Blues for Allah, Terrapin Station, and Shakedown Street. Well, well, well, you can never tell. Come back to see if they make it happen.

Hop on the bus for this long, strange trip through another time’s forgotten space…on Shakedown Speak!

Grateful Dead fans Drew Hamilton and Mike Widmer tackle 1972 and review Jerry Garcia’s Garcia, Bob Weir’s Ace, and the Dead’s Europe ’72. Like a bad Dr. Scholls’ commercial, the chemistry between Hammy and Widdy is gellin, so tune in as the boys act like they know what they’re talking about even though they were five years old during this time period of the Dead.

Show Highlights (or Lowlights depending on your viewpoint):

• 06:55-06:59        Don’t worry about that little technical meltdown. Way to fight through it, Widdy.
• 29:53-30:13        Hammy dips into the way-back time machine for a throwback to Episode 1
• 1:07:26-1:08:05  Quite possibly Hammy’s best analysis yet

On a good note, the boys finally accurately forecast what they’ll cover in the next show. Come back for Episode 4 when Hammy and Widdy will review the albums Wake of the Flood, From the Mars Hotel, and Steal Your Face.

Hop on the bus for this long, strange trip through another time’s forgotten space…on Shakedown Speak!

Grateful Dead fans Drew Hamilton and Mike Widmer are back and ready to usher in the 70s. This show covers the period 1970-1971, as Hammy and Widdy review Workingman’s Dead, American Beauty, Skull and Roses, and Bear’s Choice. The band’s sound was changing like Peter Brady’s voice in puberty, but Widdy has you covered with all the insight you need. Crack open a coldie and have a high time counting how many times Hammy says “absolutely” and how many songs Wid Kid considers “great.”

Show Highlights (or Lowlights depending on your viewpoint):

• 15:35-15:45       We’re gonna need some forensic evidence to determine what that noise is
• 20:23-20:40       Hammy’s stellar analysis of Black Peter is can’t miss commentary
• 1:06:22-1:0710  Widdy reveals his senior yearbook quote

Once again the boys got a little aggressive in their estimate for the next episode. Episode 3 will only cover Garcia, Ace, and Europe ’72. Wake of the Flood and From the Mars Hotel will have to wait until Episode 4 to get their time in the spotlight.

Hop on the bus for this long, strange trip through another time’s forgotten space…on Shakedown Speak!

Grateful Dead fans Drew Hamilton and Mike Widmer talk about the years 1965-1969 and give their review of the albums The Grateful Dead, Anthem of the Sun, Aoxomoxoa, and Live/Dead. Hear about the formative days of the Grateful Dead and the early lineup, which included a combination of Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, Mickey Hart, and Tom Constanten.

Like a Dead song debuting in concert, Hammy and Widdy come out firing on this podcast with no idea where they’re going. They play snippets of each song on the Dead’s first four albums and provide musical commentary along with some history of the band and its members. Their so-called “plan” is to lay down the foundation by reviewing the Dead’s recorded catalog before getting into the nuances of the “band beyond description” in future podcasts.

Show Highlights (or Lowlights depending on your viewpoint):

• 02:05-02:45  Widdy’s 9th grade yearbook quote
• 03:48-04:03  Why exactly does Hammy proclaim he’s wearing a Dancing Bears t-shirt?
• 09:25-09:30  Widdy’s audible burp (yes, that was out loud, Wid Kid)
• 10:10-10:30  Hammy with an odd reference to being born in 1967 (a fact of which the audience isn’t aware…making it even less relevant)
• 11:45-12:38  Ham supports Wid with a stellar one-word analysis of Cream Puff War
• 24:45-24:56  Wid Kid not-so-discreetly cracks open another brew

As for the next episode, pay no attention to what the boys say at the end of Episode 1. Hammy and Widdy bit off WAY more than they could chew when they thought they could cover 1970-1975 in Episode 2. That ain’t happening. Rather the next episode will focus on 1970-1971 including the albums Workingman’s Dead, American Beauty, Skull and Roses, and Bear’s Choice.

Hop on the bus for this long, strange trip through another time’s forgotten space…on Shakedown Speak!